Ween Concludes Reunion Run At 1st Bank Center In Broomfield

Ween concluded their first run of shows following a 2012 breakup on Sunday night at the sold-out 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Guitarists Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman and Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo as well as keyboardist Glenn McClelland, drummer Claude Coleman Jr. and bassist Dave Dreiwitz wound up playing a total of 93 songs over the course of the three-night run with Sunday’s show featuring another acoustic segment, another debut and plenty of material from the band’s debut album.

Deaner summed up the experience in a post on a Ween fan Facebook group:

“i’ll make this as short as i can right now. 4 years, and then a few months of thinking about nothing but these gigs. it was a mental ride for sure, the months seemed like years, the days seemed like months–6 weeks, 3 weeks, a week til rehearsals, days until the shows, hours before “the first show”, and now it’s past. it was so much fun that i can’t put it in a post. you people made it happen. my mind was on one thing only — here is a picture that might sum it up. and a huge thank you–you’ll never know how much we love you. no way can i sleep tonight, i just cant believe that we’re not doing it tomorrow night, i don’t want it to end, ever, this feeling…..”

The photo accompanying Deaner’s post

Last night’s Valentine’s Day finale started with the White Pepper rocker “Exactly Where I’m At.” Ween showed off many sides of their sound from the psych-fuzz of rarity “Final Alarm” to the countrified fun of “Piss Up A Rope” to the soulful “Freedom Of ’76” to the hard-hitting “Touch My Tooter” to the Hendrix-esque licks of “Common Bitch.” Each show of the run featured a live debut and on Sunday “Israel,” a song found on the odds-n-ends collection Shinola, Vol. 1 was premiered.

Sunday’s show also contained an acoustic segment in which Gener and Deaner strapped on acoustics and at times sat on stools towards the front of the stage. Last night’s acoustic sequence included “Birthday Boy,” “Chocolate Town,” “Drifter In The Dark,” “The Mollusk,” “Flutes Of Chi” and “The HIV Song” before concluding with just Mickey (on electric) and Aaron performing “Squelch The Weasel.” While Saturday’s performance was heavy on material from The Pod, Sunday’s finale was filled with seven songs from Ween’s 1990 debut GodWeenSatan: The Oneness. Another highlight occurred as part of the encore when Coleman and Melchiondo swapped positions on “Fat Lenny.” Deaner held down the beat on the oldie, while Claude shredded on guitar. The two returned to their normal instruments for a version of “The Blarney Stone” that brought the run to a close.

Melchiondo was in full grin mode throughout most of the run and took many opportunities to hug and get close to Freeman. Ween shows aren’t about nailing every song perfectly, they are about a feel and vibe that seemed to return in full force in Colorado. The band worked through plenty of material over the course of three nights, yet a number of classics went unplayed. Thankfully this past weekend was just the start of the Ween reunion. Next up for the group is a performance at the inaugural Okeechobee Festival in Florida on March 6.